Electrophotography applied to copying machines and the like has now been widely popularized. According to this technology, the machines can produce a large number of copies, instantly, not limited in black and white images, rather in good color images. This electrophotography is typically carried out by the apparatuses and processes described below (see FIG. 1). First, the surface of a photoreceptor (latent image holding body) 1 that utilizes a photoconductive material is charged by a charging means 8, and the charged surface is subjected to exposure L to electrically form a latent image. To the latent image formed here, toner is applied from a drum 3 housed in a toner supply chamber 2, and a toner image is formed. At this time, the toner 5 is charged oppositely to the charge of the photoreceptor. Thereafter, this toner image is transferred onto the surface of a transfer receiver such as paper 4, through an intermediate transfer body (not shown in the diagram) if necessary. When this transferred image 51 is fixed by means of heating, pressing, solvent vapor or the like, a desired image can be obtained. The toner remaining on the photoreceptor surface described above is cleaned by a cleaner 7 as necessary, and is used again for the development of toner images. Furthermore, charge of the photoreceptor is eliminated by a charge remover 9 in order to make the photoreceptor prepare for the following copying process.
In recent years, as a result of the technical progress in the field of electrophotography, the electrophotographic process has come to be used in printing applications as well as copying machines and printers. There is an increasingly tougher demand for the speeding-up of apparatuses, increased reliability, and copies having high image quality and hues equivalent to the original print. There have been innumerable approaches taken in order to enhance such required performance, but for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an attempt to reduce the difference or unevenness of glossiness in the chemical toner.